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Waterspout outbreak on Great Lakes

A waterspout makes its way east on Lake Erie toward the foghorn Thursday September 7, 2017 in Port Colborne, ON. Waterspouts and funnel clouds over the lake were reported in Port Colborne and Wainfleet Thursday morning. More are expected to form Friday. Dave Johnson/Postmedia

At least 28 waterspouts and 22 funnel clouds were reported over the Great Lakes between Sept. 5 and 6, and Wade Szilagyi, director of the International Centre for Waterspout Research, says to expect more as today marks the fourth day of a waterspout outbreak.
“I expect more on Lake Erie Friday morning. We’re in the peak of waterspout season … at the very end of August, beginning of September,” says Szilagyi.
While the number of waterspouts and funnel clouds spotted over two days may seem high, Szilagyi says the most the Great Lakes has ever seen was 67 — in just one day. It was Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013, and it set a record both on the Great Lakes and across the world for the most waterspouts documented in one day.
Thursday morning in Port Colborne a number of funnel clouds and at least one confirmed waterspout were spotted between one and three kilometres offshore of the city on Lake Erie. Residents watched from Nickel Beach, along West Street and H.H. Knoll Lakeview Park as they passed by.
Wainfleet Mayor April Jeffs posted photos on Facebook showing a funnel cloud/waterspout off of Wainfleet, as did other residents in the township.
Sugarloaf Harbour Marina in Port Colborne posted a photo of a waterspout on its Facebook page.
Szilagyi says the more reports and feedback he receives the better, as it helps create more accurate waterspout forecasts.
“All of these reports are fed back into a technique developed over the last 23 years now. It’s an empirically-based technique, based on actual data, not a formula or equation.”
For waterspouts to form, he says, a couple of factors are needed. One is instability, with cool air moving over the still-warm waters of the lakes. The second factor is air converging together to cause a spin.
“When you have sufficient spin and instability, waterspouts will form.”
Szilagyi says there are five stages to a waterspout, with the first being the formation of a depression on the surface of the water. As the air spins faster and faster on the surface, spiral patterns and then a spray ring will form. It will start to move up toward clouds passing overhead and is invisible.
He says funnel clouds are actually waterspouts but are not officially considered mature ones. Mature waterspouts are when water can be seen spinning on the surface of the lake and being drawn up to the clouds.
“There are two kinds of waterspouts: fair weather and severe weather. Fair weather is when they hit land, they dissipate quickly on the beach because they’ve lost their source of energy — the air and water temperature difference.”
Severe weather waterspouts take place during severe weather, will continue to move onto land and are tornadoes.
Thursday’s waterspouts and funnel clouds off of Port Colborne would be considered fair weather waterspouts, very typical for this time of year, says Szilagyi, who is also a meteorologist with Meteorological Service of Canada.
He formed the International Centre for Waterspout Research in 2008. It came about after an Austrian professor, Alexander Keul, approached him about a paper he wrote on a waterspout outbreak in 2003. A Greek meteorologist, Michalis Sioutas, also got involved.
Boaters on the lakes during waterspout outbreaks, says Szilagyi, should always try to avoid them.
“They should move at 90 degrees to the apparent direction of the waterspout … don’t try and outrun them. They are a marine hazard and can capsize small boats.”
Szilagyi asks those who spot funnel clouds and waterspouts to contact the International Centre for Waterspout Research on its Facebook page or via Twitter and give as many details as possible, like time, location, direction, and how long they last. There’s also a submission page on its website.